now" -- this morning on "world news now" -- the presidential candidates gear up for round two. president obama and governor romney get ready to tackle voters' questions as a new poll shows yet another shift in the lead. it's monday, october 15th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." everyone's favorite day of the week. good monday morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. >> it's actually not my favorite day of the week. >> yeah. >> oh, sarcasm. >> there you go. she's quick tonight. >> always a little slow on mondays. paula faris. we're going to have the latest on how candidates are tweaking their strategies for their second debate. but first, a look at some of the other stories we're going to follow this half hour.

a death-defying plunge to earth, 883 miles an hour, unbelievable, with just a parachute to break his fall. how felix baumgartner managed to cheat death. it was a picture-perfect free fall and landing. look at that moment right there. he did it, shattering the world record. he did it. unbelievable. people were riveted to the video over the weekend. >> i can't imagine free falling for other four minutes. >> no. and at almost 900 miles an hour? felix, my hat's off to you. you're braver than most, my friend. also this half hour, we're going to bring you the story of a mother in texas who is currently serving life for killing her foster child. why she says she did not do it. of course, this is going to be the topic of discussion all day on the "katie" show today. i had the opportunity to go down there and interview her in a texas penitentiary. >> people can check you out in in the afternoon at a more

reasonable hour, if they watch "kat "katie" today. i imagine a pretty gripping interview. >> extremely gripping. we brought, there is a lot of layers to the interview as well. but we brought in her husband and her five kids who she has, no physical contact with at all. she can see them once or twice a month, but no physical contact. and her lawyers, so -- >> we'll get into all that. >> yes. many layers. and later, a homecoming to remember. a teenager who survived a flesh-eating bacteria is welcomed back to school in grand style there. what a night that must have been for her. wow! a lot of survivor stories tonight. i like that. but first we have a brand-new snapshot of the presidential race. our latest abc news/"washington post" poll finds president obama leading mitt romney 49% to 46%. that is among likely voters. and in a bright spot, though, for the republican challenger, 59% of romney supporters say they're now strongly enthusiastic about him. that's compared to 55% of the president's supporters. >> memorize those numbers,

everybody. it all comes with 22 days until the election and one day until the next presidential debate. abc's karen travers has a preview. >> reporter: the presidential contenders are gearing up for round two. >> how is the debate prep going, sir? >> it is going great. >> reporter: their next showdown will be a town hall. cnn's candy crowley will moderate, but the questions will come from the audience. >> i think he needs to be hard-hitting on some, use and take a concrete stand. >> reporter: democrats said president obama was too passive in the first debate. his campaign says that won't happen again. >> he's got to be more energetic. >> i think he's going to be aggressive in making the case for his view of where we should go as a country. >> reporter: ohio senator rob portman has been romney's debate prep partner. he says the republican is ready for battle. >> president obama's going to come out swinging. i think he's going to have to compensate for a poor first debate. >> reporter: the town hall format could prevent challenges. neither candidate has held many

events like this. >> both candidates have to tread lightly because if they're going on the offense too aggressively with each other, that can spill over to the audience and make them look too combative. >> reporter: for the president that means getting aggressive could be a tricky balancing act. romney need to reach out to the audience and voters watching at home. >> conventional wisdom is that governor romney isn't as good at connecting with the voters as the president might be. we'll see how he handles the dimension in the debates. >> reporter: karen travers, abc news, washington. >> wow. so the president has to make up for lost ground from the debate. meanwhile polls nationally and in swing states are tightening up. there's a lot on the line. the piece made a good point. whether the town hall format lends itself to an aggressive style. typically in a town hall, they have to empathize and relate to them in cincinnati and her story and can they swing in the much more intimate setting of

just mano y mano. >> one thing, candy crowley, describes, once the table is set by the questioner there is time for me to say, hey, what about x, y, z, both parties are saying not really. that's not how it's supposed to happen. the commission is saying the moderator will not ask follow up questions or comment on questions asked by the audience or those by the candidates. >> ooh. already some tussling over the rules, huh? >> exactly. >> interesting. all right. we'll be checking you out tuesday night, candy. we'll see. austrian daredevil felix baumgartner back on earth this morning after a record-breaking leap from space. according to preliminary data, baumgartner reached a maximum speed of, get this, 833.9 miles an hour during his jump over the new mexico desert. that amounts to mach 1.24, which is faster than the speed of sound. baumgartner said the stunt changed his perspective. >> when you stand up there on

top of the world, you become so humbled. it's not about breaking records anymore. it's not about getting scientific data. it's all about coming home alive. >> his poor mother. because of his pressurized space suit, baumgartner didn't even feel the rushing air or hear the loud noise he made when he did, in fact, break the sound barrier. >> incredible footage there. lucky guy. man, applause in the background. well earned, guy. mission accomplished for space shuttle "endeavour," reaching its final resting spot in the city of angels. after zooming through space 25 times, "endeavour" inched its way from l.a.x. to california science center at just a paltry rate of 2 miles an hour. hundreds of trees, in fact, had to be cut down. traffic signals moved to make way for the massive wing span. "endeavour" arrived to a cheering crowd more than a half day behind schedule. but, again, it is finally home.

>> mm-hmm. tributes are pouring in this morning for former senator arlen specter. moderate republican turned democrat from pennsylvania who served 30 years in the senate, died yesterday of complications of nonhodgkin's lymphoma at the age of 82. specter, known for being independent, and former pennsylvania governor ed rendell is among those remembering his integrity. >> i came out of law school as a young assistant d.a., and he taught me a lot about what i know about teaching me about discipline, teaching me about staying focused, teaching me about the value of preparation. he was prepared as anyone can be. >> again, that was ed rendell. specter's funeral will be tomorrow in penn valley pennsylvania and vice president biden has postponed campaign events in order to attend. >> i grew up in south jersey, so i remember arlen specter in the news, headlines, a dominant figure. what i liked in reading some of his obituaries, he would anger republicans, anger the democrats, really this fierce

centrist. you don't see many politicians like that anymore, entrenched on one side. you don't see guys who can cross the aisle, angered folks along the way, of course, you know, but they all just tote the party line. they do what they think is right. >> they have the people's best interests in mind. is that what you're saying? >> well, yeah. that would be nice. well, let's move on to other news this morning. the fbi says a man has been arrested in the kidnapping of an 11-year-old little girl of wyoming. police in the town of cody say the suspect lured the girl into hiss the suspect lured the girl into his suv last week saying he needed help finding his lost puppy. his suv last week by saying he needed help finding his lost puppy. hunters found the child outside of town several hours later. officials now say there is no link though between this case and the disappearance of jessica ridgeway in colorado. also the number of fungal meningitis cases has been going up every day now for over a week. there are now 205 confirmed cases across the country. and 15 people have died in 14 states.

the outbreak has been linked to steroid shots for back pain all made at a specialty pharmacy in the state of massachusetts. pressure is now mounting to increase government oversight on similar companies. also a new investigation finds federal safety officials have failed to follow through on promises to protect children from jewelry tainted with cadmium. the "associated press" says the consumer product safety commission has not recalled kids' jewelry, not recalled kids' jewelry that contains the toxic metal and has not warned paints either. federal regulators say they have taken steps to limit exposure, which can cause kidney and bone damage as well as bone cancer. the road to world series started with game one of the

national league championship series, nlcs. oomz e game one in the nlcs. and in the american league, detroit at new yor the cardinals take an early 6-0 lead and the two-run homer. giants rallying. couple long drives, producing four runs. the card hold on to win this one, 6-4. they take game one in the nlcs. and in the american league, detroit at new york. jeff nelson calls omar infante safe at second, a call that nelson now admits he blew. joe girardi, not happy, argues with nelson. clearly out. he argues with nelson on his birthday, and ejected on his birthday no less. the tigers capitalize, scoring two runs. al not so happy 48th birthday for the skipper. you know what? that wasn't the worst part of the weekend for bronx bombers. game one on saturday night, top of the 12th. there's the captain, derek jeter, hitting the ground, clearly in pain. turns out he fractured his left ankle. and he is out for the year. sources saying he is going to have surgery. it's a crushing blow for the yanks, but manager girardi says

the team is determined to play on. >> as far as bringing us down, no, i think the guys want to do it for him. i really do. i think the energy level was good. >> so jeter's on crunches. he won't travel to detroit with the rest of the team. he's undergoing seeing specialists. no decision on his treatment. according to espn sources -- the sources, right? -- he will undergo surgery. here is where things stand. the tigers have a 2-0 lead in the alcs. the series moves to detroit for game three. that is tomorrow night. and in the nlcs, cardinals just up one game on san francisco. game two tonight in san francisco. after the blown call, joe girardi is begging for replays, not just for home runs and, you know, foul balls, but for everything. >> i support the replay. why not go for accuracy if we can do it. we have the technology. interesting, girardi, four of five ejections against the detroit tigers.

he was true to form last night. there's some speculation too. is this a career-ender for jeter? >> too early to say that. way too early. got to see how the bone fuses. >> always the case. coming up next, the story of a teenager suffering from a rare flesh-eating bacteria. how she's finally returning to the life she loves. plus, i traveled to texas to meet a woman accused of killing her foster child. why she says she is innocent. we've got her story coming up on "world news now." ♪ >> announcer: "world news now" weather brought to you by consumer cellular. weather brought to you by consumer cellular. 3q

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welcome back, everybody. this is a story you will see later today on katie couric's new talk show. and the big question is has justice been served or has a texas mother been wrongly imprisoned for the last five years. >> hannah overton is currently serving a life sentence without parole for the murder of her foster son, convicted of forcing him to ingest a deadly dose of salt, but hannah tells me she is innocent. >> reporter: her defense tried to convince the jury andrew ate the salt himself. did you kill your foster child, andrew byrd? >> no. >> reporter: did you ever think about harming him in any way? >> no.

>> reporter: but the jury found her guilty of capital murder. >> wow. what caused this story to kind of bubble up into national press? >> well, they had an evidentiary hearing in april now in the hands of the texas court of criminal appeals. they could rule any day now. but she is separated from her five children. she has absolutely no physical contact. they can see her once, twice a month. it's a ten-hour round trip for them to make the drive from prison to corpus christi where they live. the facts came out after the case that this child -- foster child may have had a bizarre eating disorder, peca. he would peel paint off the wall, eat crayons, glow sticks, cat food, hair balls, dig out of the trash. >> wow, wow, wow. >> the prosecution painted her as a mom that wanted a way out. though she was six months'

pregnant, been in a car accident, just a couple weeks before he died, was bedridden and wearing a neck brace. and they thank she was somehow able to force that amount of salt down his throat. so a very involved case. again, katie's show dedicating a full hour to it. >> check out paula's story on "katie." a gripping piece. wow. >> make sure to tune in to "good morning america." we'll have much more on the story of hannah overton. >> all right. still ahead this half hour, the movie getting all of the oscar buzz this year. "argo," a story based on some of the most dramatic international event in a generation. but first, a simple swim in the lake turned into a six-week nightmare for this maryland girl, but now she's returning to life as it should be, and she's doing it in style. it's all next on "world news now." >> annou

we want you to meet a 16-year-old girl. we want you to meet a

16-year-old girl. >> who's proving to be an inspiration. here's abc's reena ninan. >> reporter: giddy, glowing, and grateful to be alive. 16-year-old alexis hanford was all smiles saturday as she prepared for her high school's homecoming dance in maryland. >> you look nice. >> thank you. >> she, you know, still seems like she's okay and happy to be alive and happy to be able to participate in these things. and, you know, as a parent, that's awesome. >> three, two, one! go, haley. >> reporter: barely two months ago after playing in this lake with her sister haley, the former soccer player was hospitalized with a rare strain of flesh-eating bacteria. >> i went off of a rope swing, and when i fell into the water, i hit my leg.

it actually was really bad. >> reporter: over the course of weeks, hanford endured surgeries to rid her leg of infection and celebrated her sweet 16 with new wheels. >> every surgery you kind of wait in the waiting room, wondering what they found and what would need to be removed or what was still left and was healthy. >> i've lost a lot of use in my leg, but i haven't lost my leg. >> reporter: though not yet well enough to return full time, the effervescent redhead stopped by school friday just long enough to be crowned homecoming princess. >> it was amazing to be crowned. and i am guessing probably since i have been away for so long they just wanted me to know that i'm still included in the school. i can't even explain how much that means to me. >> reporter: hanford was declared a princess this week, but fought hard to be a survivor for life. alexis is now being tutored at home but hopes to take classes over the summer to be on track

with the rest of her graduating class. she'll likely have to wear a brace for the rest of her life to help her walk. reena ninan, abc news, washington. ♪ nope. [ female announcer ] charmin ultra soft is so soft you'll have to remind your family they can use less. charmin ultra soft is made with extra cushions that are soft and more absorbent. plus you can use four times less versus the leading value brand. don't worry, there's plenty left for you dad. we all go. why not enjoy the go with charmin ultra soft? i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options.

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♪ wake up, everybody. time for "insomniac theater" this morning. a movie that was so intriguing to our in-house critics, two of them, two of our staff folks went to go check it out. >> not together though. >> it wasn't a date? >> amanda and i didn't go on a date. amanda van allen's here, digital format associate. >> unfortunately paula and i didn't date this weekend. really sad. >> we both went to see the movie separately. >> i snuck a hero in. >> amanda.

>> i got some street meat. >> the movie? >> i absolutely loved this film. it's saying a lot for me. i don't like a lot of movies. >> you're harsh. >> it's up here. this movie was amazing. there was comedy. there was drama. there was suspense. there was mystery. everything that you can possibly ask for in a movie, it was in "argo." i loved it. i learned something. there was historical context. i had a great time. >> based on a true story. >> based on a true story in the late 1970s. the iran hostage crisis happened. of course, it was a really big deal. the six people slipped out the back. and the cia cam up with great plot to get them back to the u.s. it was great movie. i had a good time. >> i wasn't so keen on the plot. didn't think the plot was great how they decided to get them out.

>> take a listen. >> when the movie was over, everybody clapped their hands. it was unbelievable. >> i thought it was really good. very interesting. i never learned about it, so it taught me a lot. >> i can't speak to the total veracity of the movie, given my lack of expertise, but i would say it was also a fair historical depiction as well. >> i didn't know that ben -- >> happy that i know more about the story depicted in the film. i didn't know the full details. >> as you can see, everybody really loved it. they all enjoyed it. they had great time, as well as me. >> number of stars? >> i am giving it five out of five stars. >> perfection. >> my first five-out-of-five rating ever. >> i liked the plot of the movie. i didn't like the plot, designed to get the hostages out, real life plot. everybody was clapping at the end. >> everybody loved it. >> i hate clapping at movies. >> five stars from you. five stars from you. >> i will clap now. >> more from abc next. vies. >> five stars from you. \ive now.

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this morning on "world news now" -- fearless felix. this morning on "world news now" -- fearless felix. living up to his name, and now he lives in the record books. >> now scientists want to study what the daredevil went through in his free fall from the edge of space. it is monday, october 15th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." good morning, everybody. i'm paula faris on this wonderful monday. >> everyone's favorite day of the week. good morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. we'll get to the amazing felix bam gardiner and his 24-mile skydive in just a second. if you turned it on this weekend, you were riveted to watching this guy tumble from space. it really was incredible to watch. >> end over end over end. at one point he didn't think he

was going to come out of the free fall -- not the free fall, but the tumbling. >> scary just flipping around out there. but he made it. all is well. a big day. also this half hour, the presidential candidates prepare to go at it again in tomorrow night's highly anticipated debate. we'll have the latest poll numbers heading into round two. then the brave pakistani girl shot by the taliban just for supporting girls' education. she's now in the uk for treatment, and in pakistan, people are taking to the streets in solidarity with the teen. and later, is tom cruise headed for another divorce, this time from his church? the new speculation about a split possibly from scientology itself. we have all the juicy details coming up in "the skinny." that could be major. if their -- their best-known member defects, this could be big news. so -- >> a lot of members were upset they allegedly were breaking the rules for tom. >> exactly.

because of the divorce. we'll get to that in just a sec. first on monday morning. a lifetime of death-defying stunts. felix baumgartner can relax this morning, and so can all of us, right? everybody who watched the 4:20 free fall from 24 miles up, we're all breathing a sigh of relief. >> especially his mother, who was crying before he jumped. she had to be going crazy. baumgartner, though, is now officially in the record books as the first skydiver to break the speed of sound. abc's ryan owens has more on the man who literally fell to earth. >> release! [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: with cheers from his crew and tears from his mom, daredevil felix baumgartner began his improbable journey to the edge of space. >> capsule check, are you ready? >> go ahead. >> reporter: for 2 1/2 hours, the 43-year-old austrian skydiver floated to an astounding 24 miles up. 128,000 feet above the new mexico desert where he opened his capsule, hung his feet out the door, was reminded to unfasten his seatbelt -- >> release seatbelt.

>> reporter: -- saluted, and he just jumped right into the record books. he plummeted at an inconceivable 833 miles per hour. so fast the only way to see him was his infrared camera. the first human to break the sound barrier with just his body. no jet, no rocket. hee tumbled out of control for a few ten seconds, then righted himself, and managed to make a sound. [ indiscernible sound ] it was enough for mom. >> okay. here we go, felix. >> reporter: the entire way up and down, felix heard only one voice. >> attaboy. >> reporter: it was the voice of experience. 84-year-old joe kittinger held the record for the highest free fall for 52 years. he talked felix through shattering that record by more than 25,000 feet. high winds delayed liftoff last week, but nothing it seemed could keep felix from the stratosphere. he even returned to earth on his feet with a record that's simply

out of this world. >> when you stand up there on top of the world, you become so humbled. it's not about breaking records anymore, it's not about getting scientific data. it's about coming home alive. >> reporter: we know felix will be in the record books. he may also be in science books. researchers plan to study what happened to his pressure suit and believe they can use that to design stronger safer ones for the astronauts of the future. ryan owens, abc news, roswell, new mexico. >> it is an amazing story. people are cheering for what this really means for the progression of science, the contribution he now has made to science. earlier this summer, august, the mars "rover" landing now. now you have this. people are saying -- it is a good time to feel good again about where we are scientifically as a country, that all the signs of progress here. certainly that moment cannot be understated. >> no. i just feel really good about where i am right now, and that's with my heinie in this chair. >> feel good about. >> he said during the free fall,

his visor started to fog up. that's when he actually started to freak out a little bit. >> yeah, i would have freaked out much earlier than that. >> he gave a great quote after he got down. he said we live to conquer fears and pursue dreams. may our attempts at accomplishments progress humankind. i thought that was eloquent what he said. when he got back on safe ground. >> almost as succinct as one small step for man -- one giant -- i was just saying, you know. moving on this morning to politics, and our new look at the presidential race with just 22 days to go. we're getting there, folks. our latest abc news/"washington post" poll finds president obama ahead of mitt romney, 49% to 46% among likely voters. however, 59% of romney supporters say they're strongly enthusiastic about him. that is compared to 55% of the president's supporters. the poll comes a day before the candidates, of course, meet in their second debate. mitt romney is tuning up after his strong showing at the first face-to-face showdown in denver. the republican challenger is now in belmont, massachusetts,

working on debate prep. >> hello, everybody. hello, hello! i brought some food. what's going on? >> and president obama took a break from his debate prep in williamsburg, virginia, to stop by a campaign office there. after his lackluster performance in denver, the campaign is promising the president is making tweaks and adjustments and definitely will be more aggressive the second time around. one expert says he has to do a turnaround. >> i don't think in recorded -- you know, the history of presidential debates has there been such a momentum shift off the first presidential debate, and so the president has to turn the momentum back in his direction. and a new development this morning on the brave pakistani girl shot in the head for speaking out again the taliban. pakistan has sent the 14-year-old girl to united kingdom for treatment saying she will need prolonged care. meantime, droves of pakistanis are rallying behind her. abc's muhammad lila has the

latest. >> reporter: all week the outrage has been growing. it exploded. tens of thousands took to the streets in karachi, pakistan's biggest city, a massive show of support for this young girl, 14-year-old malala yousafzai, the young girl shot in the head and nearly killed this week by the taliban. finally some good news. doctors say the young girl is responding to treatment. >> she has created a movement across pakistan. of a girl others want to follow. >> reporter: for years, malala yousafzai was a thorn in the taliban's side. when they closed her school, she dared to speak out fighting for the right of all girls for an education. this is what she told "the new york times." >> i want to get my education and i want to become a doctor. >> reporter: when the taliban couldn't silence her, they targeted her. earlier this week a gunman shot her in the head on the way home from school.

>> pakistan! pakistan! >> reporter: that attack led to massive outrage, ordinary pakistanis uniting to denounce the taliban. even the country's christians themselves, a small minority, are now praying for malala. >> it has united the entire nation. everybody feeling the same way. right, left, center, people, no matter what their political ideologies are. >> reporter: now the hope is that her attack is a turning point, turning the entire country against the taliban once and for all. muhammad lila, abc news, islamabad, pakistan. >> so she's over in britain getting care. it's amazing. this bullet was -- actually entered through her left temple and then rested on her spine. she did not suffer any significant brain damage amidst all of that. >> i think we quoted a doctor last week saying she has a 70% chance of survival. one of my favorite columnists in the country, leonard pitts, he

had great line towards the end of the column about this. he said the irony here is almost poetic. the taliban felt so threatened they tried to kill her. in doing so, they ensured she will never die. i thought that was so eloquent. clearly her legacy now will motivate, you can imagine, countless others. we are all thinking about her and praying for her for sure. and here is a look at your monday weather. the northwest pounded by heavy rain with up to 4 inches in some sports. severe weather a possibility from southern jersey to northern florida. mild and dry in the middle of the country. >> unusually warm actually in philly, new york city, and bean town. chicago and minneapolis are in the low 60s, about average for this time of year. denver is 15 degrees warmer than usual. 81. phoenix, the hot spot on the map coming in at 93. well, bottom's up. >> indeed. >> you might want to savor this one a little bit when you find out how much it's going to set you back.

>> one of the top bartenders on the planet has created what is believed to be the world's most expensive cocktail, $8,800 a glass. mixologist salvador calibrese used some of the oldest and priciest spirits around. he used a cognac from 1788, a 1770 liqueur, and an 1860 curacao and something i can't pronounce and bitters. >> angostura. >> impressive. >> i faked it. >> that was from the 1900s. >> calibrese mixed it at playboy club in london, liquid history in a glass. $8,800. cheers. thank you for mixing it up. >> get us some. here, the staff -- we're over budget. one of the most influential senators in years, this morning we remember arlen specter. you're watching "world news now." we remember arlen specter. you are watching "world news now." we remember arlen spector.

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well, a major voice for political moderation passed away over the weekend. arlen specter of pennsylvania served 30 years in the senate. >> specter voted the way he saw it, as likely to go along with his own party as he was to go against it. that middle way ultimately put him out of office. abc's john karl has his story. >> reporter: a native of kansas but chose pennsylvania to be his home. after law school at yale he settled in philadelphia, eventually becoming district attorney. after the kennedy assassination, specter served on the warren commission and helped develop

the single-bullet theory. specter was elected to the senate in 1980, as a republican, becoming a fiercely independent centrist and powerful voice on the judiciary committee. he infuriated his own party by helping to sink robert bork's nomination. >> judge bork, with all due respect, i think you're putting rabbit in the hat. >> reporter: his tough grilling of anita hill angered democrats. >> i object to that vociferously. i'm asking questions here. >> and helped lift clarence thomas to the high court. in 2009 he again infuriated republicans by supporting president obama's $800 billion stimulus bill and lost the support of his party and became a democrat. but pennsylvania democrats didn't return the favor and he lost his bid for a sixth term in the democratic primary. specter battled cancer in 2005 and again in 2008 working in the senate through it all. that and another battle with a brain tumor made him a passionate advocate for medical research, including stem cell therapy.

arlen specter lost his final battle with cancer at the age of 82. jonathan karl, abc news, new york. >> one of the last remaining republican moderates on the hill. the party kind of turned toward the right. but he'll forever be remembered for the anita hill grilling many years ago. he says "i have gone back and looked at every frame of videos on professor hill, and i did not ask her one unprofessional question." he defended himself and performance during the hearings until the end. so a distinct political character there. >> may he rest in peace. >> for sure. "the skinny" is coming up next. arlen specter, 1930-2012. we'll be back. >> announcer: "world news now" continue

♪ skinny so skinny ♪ skinny ♪ so skinny welcome back, everybody. this could potentially be some pretty big news. for so many years tom cruise has been the poster boy for church of scientology, but there's a new report in "star" magazine that hits stands friday. he could be pondering leaving the church and getting out altogether. according to an insider. we all know how that goes. tom has not admitted -- >> a source. >> not admitting he is leaving scientology for good, but he's distanced himself from those in the church and has been hanging out with good friends who are not part of the religion, saying

he is being intro expectative about his religion affected relationships with katie holmes and nicole kidman as well as his ex-girlfriend penelope cruz, and also more importantly here, how the religion could affect his relationship with suri. going over a lot, according to sources in "star" magazine could it be time to leave the church of scientology. maybe he's going to split. don't know. preliminary reports. interesting if he would do that. so much part of his persona and identity for so long now. >> basically if he stays in the religion, they're asking him to turn his back on his daughter. >> because they're no longer part of the church. that could be the deal breaker. >> for sure. >> yep, yep. all right. one of hollywood's -- or should we say australia's power couples, russell crowe and his wife, also an australian native, according to "sydney morning

herald" newspaper, they are separating after nine years of marria marriage. they have two sons. an 8-year-old and 6-year-old. he met danielle spencer on set, 22 years ago, on the set of the film "the crossing." she was a musician. he proposed in 2002. had a nice quiet wedding. and their children attend school in sydney. remained in australia. according to the "sydney morning herald" russell crowe and wife danielle spencer have separated after nine years of marriage. and we're showing you meg ryan because he used to date her a long time ago. >> russell crowe in hollywood. welcome news to some of the lady out there. they like the gladiator. >> oh, yeah. also, this interesting news. remember the couple that famously/infamously crashed the white house state dinner? we told you a few months ago the woman left her husband tareq, they got divorced officially in august when she decided to run away with the guitarist from

journey, neil sean. guess what? apparently a couple days ago he brought her up on stage at a concert and popped a question to our now engaged. apparently got her an 11.5 carat diamond ring. she and her ex-husband tareq filed $50 million, he against her, filed a $50 million lawsuit against her since dismissed. all that is water under the bridge. called her up on stage. giddy. like a little girl. jumped up and down. obviously said yes. now the two are it. she left her man for the rocker. now the rocker has proposed and given her a big rock for that finger. the salahis, america's favorite couple. >> please, no reality show. >> oh, please, dear god. >> hulk hogan had a reality show, and one that was too real, the sex tape that was leaked. >> yeah. >> we're not going to show you the sex tape just because we're a family show. >> thank you, thank you. >> but he's trying to figure out who leaked the tape. he called out the big guns, the fbi to track down the person who leaked his, little naked fun time footage. supposed to meet monday. he tried to work with local authorities but they couldn't do anything because it happened in

2006 and then it crossed state lines. >> fbi. >> he is going after those suckers. >> man, hulk hogan. hulkomania coming through. suckers. >> man, hulk hogan. hulkomania coming through. you'll have to remind your family they can use less. charmin ultra soft is made with extra cushions that are soft and more absorbent. plus you can use four times less versus the leading value brand. don't worry, there's plenty left for you dad. we all go. why not enjoy the go with charmin ultra soft?

♪ gosh i'm so tired of divisive exchange i have got one or two things to say about change ♪ ♪ like the change we must change to the change we hold dear ♪ ♪ i really like change have i made myself clear ♪ ♪so you talk about change until you're deaf in the ear ♪ >> bet that brings back some memories for you. that is from good folks at jibjab who delivered comic relief during the last presidential election. >> with just three weeks to go, not that anybody is counting, comedy coming to the rescue again. it may be the skits that we remember in the end. abc's david muir takes a look. >> reporter: in an age of instant reaction on twitter, facebook, on "snl," what comedians do with the debate performance can be as lasting as

the debate itself. >> congressman ryan, we begin with your opening statement. >> thank you. first of all. i want to thank center college for hosting us this evening. >> oh, boy, here we go. >> reporter: political historians point out americans used to watch these debates all by themselves with their own family, not with all that instant reaction. >> we had a lot fewer intermediaries interpreting what we were seeing. we saw it for ourselves, and next day we discussed it at the water cooler. "saturday night live" has become our water cooler. >> reporter: along with those snap judgments on twitter declared the winner long before the debate is over. >> this is a bunch of malarkey. all right. malarkey. >> a bunch of malarkey? what does that mean? >> it's irish. >> no. irish is i come over there and smack that dumb look off your face. >> reporter: as we know, a comedian's line can drive a message too. after the first debate, jon

stewart, the candidate that took on big bird and won. >> and won. beloved children's favored character. romney could have waterboarded alladin, put down blue, deported dora the explorer, and still won walking away. >> reporter: because right along with the persuadable voters out there, the very persuadable writers. >> when you're sitting there watching something, seth, what is your process for coming up with the jokes? >> something like tonight's debate, which will be something we will do on the show. we'll have all the writers throw out ideas. well, if you enjoyed thursday night's vice-presidential debate, you're certainly not alone. >> reporter: not alone because the comedians are right there watching too. david muir, abc news, new york. >> jon stewart has been pretty relentless. in fact, the president is going back to "the daily show" this thursday. in case you want to check that out. >> he's a brave soul. >> should be good. >> thank you for watching this half hour. don't forget to check us out on facebook. >> that's it. more from abc coming up next. >> announcer: this is abc's "world news now," informing insomniacs for two decades. nnouncer: this is abc's "world news now," informing insomniacs for two decad